


The Epic Love Story of Lando Calrissian and Luke Skywalker

by Skyrissian (ErinacchiLove)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Bodyguard Romance, Falling In Love, Family Bonding, Force Ghost Padmé Amidala, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, Mutual Pining, Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Rebuilding the Republic, Self-Discovery, Sharing a Bed, Slow Romance, Space Road Trip, Star Wars Big Bang 2020, do not copy to another site, idiots to lovers, sequel trilogy? I don't know him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:42:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23982517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinacchiLove/pseuds/Skyrissian
Summary: Lando Calrissian volunteers to go on a diplomatic mission on behalf of the newly formed Senate of the New Republic. Luke Skywalker, in turn, volunteers to go as Lando's bodyguard.Holonet is about to go wild.
Relationships: Lando Calrissian/Luke Skywalker, Naberrie Family & Luke Skywalker
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45
Collections: Star Wars Big Bang 2020





	The Epic Love Story of Lando Calrissian and Luke Skywalker

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thanks to my amazing beta, [Alexa](ahsokastars.tumblr.com), who was a delight to work with and who made some very valuable suggestions for the story. Couldn't have done it without you ♥

Rebuilding a functioning democracy wasn’t easy. Lando Calrissian had come to realize that during the days he had now spent in the meeting of the Galactic Senate of the New Republic in Hanna City, Chandrila. Coruscant was still in turmoil, three years after Lando had blown up the second Death Star, so meetings couldn’t be held there just yet. And apparently that wasn’t even the plan. Apparently the plan was to rotate the senate in selected worlds of the New Republic.

Now they just had to negotiate formal agreements with those worlds. The Senate had deliberately chosen several possible off-core worlds, though Lando knew that people from any of the Core Worlds werenʼt going to be excited when Senate assemblies would be held in, say, Ryloth or Kashyyyk. Some of them had already protested the idea, but had thankfully been outvoted by a vast majority of the senators and other delegates.

“Well, I suppose now there is only one thing left to settle,” said Mon Mothma, who was the chancellor of the Senate for the time being. There would be an election as soon as the new system was working, and Mon Mothma herself would retire from politics. “We need a negotiator. Senator Organa?”

Leia shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t. I would take the mission otherwise but Han is off world for the week, so I’m staying with our daughter Raisa, and I can’t take a toddler on a diplomatic mission with me.”

Mon Mothma nodded. “I understand. Senator Xiono?”

Senator Hamato Xiono was a tall and rather snobbish man from Hosnian Prime. A perfect example of someone Lando could not imagine going to any off-core world voluntarily. He looked like he would get a stroke simply if someone spilled caf on his pristine uniform. A tiny part in Lando wanted to do exactly that and see what would happen.

“No,” Xiono said instantly. “I have my hands full with re-establishing the New Republic Academy. And that, at least, will stay in a civilized system.”

Lando rolled his eyes. Xiono really needed to take out the stick he had up his butt. The Empire might’ve favored the mostly human-populated planets of the Core Worlds over planets mostly populated by other species, but the New Republic was different. And rightfully so. There couldn’t be any favoritism if they were to make democracy work again.

Mon Mothma asked a few others but they all declined. It was quite understandable, to be honest. Not many people wanted to go on a mission that took months. They had families and other duties after all. And even if they didn’t have either, treaty negotiations could get really exhausting if there were several in a row.

Mon Mothma sighed and shook her head. “Would _anyone_ be ready to volunteer for the mission? Someone will have to go, and I don’t wish to force anyone.”

Oh, what the hell. Maybe Cloud City could gain some perks this way. Besides, it had been a while since Lando had last properly traveled the galaxy. It could be fun for a change. 

“I don’t have anything on my plate,” Lando said, raising his hand. “Cloud City is peaceful again and I have people, Lobot in particular, who can handle any urgent matters in my stead should any arise. I can take this mission. It won’t be an issue.”

Mon Mothma gave him a relieved smile. “Thank you, General Calrissian. However, some of these planets arenʼt politically stable as of yet, so you will need someone to guard you.”

Lando raised an eyebrow. Honestly, they were talking to the man who had destroyed the second Death Star. He didn’t need a babysitter. “I think I can handle myself.”

“We know,” Leia interjected, rubbing her brow. “You still need a bodyguard, but I don’t know who we can spare. I would’ve suggested Chewie but he’s off to Kashyyyk with Han…”

“I’ll do it.”

Lando didn’t know whether he was surprised or not to hear Luke pipe up. This was, quite honestly, so very like him. Of course it was him. Last Lando had heard of Luke, he had been helping some Outer Rim planet that had suffered several landslides. Originally Luke had been searching for lost Jedi lore, but he hadn’t really made any progress with it, according to Leia. He had been too caught up in helping others. Well, at least someone was doing that. So many worlds were still in the middle of rebuilding. They needed all the help they could get. 

Everyone in the assembly hall turned their eyes at Luke. The Jedi seemed a bit flustered at the sudden attention on him but straightened his back and continued, “I don’t have any pressing business to attend to right now, Jedi or otherwise. So,” he looked at Lando, “if it’s okay with you, General Calrissian, I’d like to go with you.”

Well, Lando wasn’t one to turn down an offer like this. If he really had to take a bodyguard then he’d rather it was a friend, and also someone he could stand being with for long periods of time, especially during the hyperspace jumps. And Luke was such a friend. They had already had a trial run on Tatooine during their mission to rescue Han. It was going to work just fine.

Lando smiled at Luke and said, “Master Skywalker, it would be an honor.”

Leia leaned against the palm of her hand with an expression Lando couldn’t read. She looked like she knew a secret no one else did. “Well, I guess that’s settled then. You both will receive a list of worlds you’re expected to visit. Lando, will you use your own ship or do you want one of the consular ships?”

“Which one would be more beneficial?” Lando asked.

“A consular ship,” Leia answered. “I know they’re not as fast but they’re more recognizable. People will instantly know what business you have on their planets.”

Lando nodded. As long as they were traveling with style and he could fly himself, he was fine with anything. “A consular ship it is then. When do you need us to leave?”

The answer, it turned out, was tomorrow. Great. That sure didn’t give Lando or Luke a lot of time to prepare. But it was what it was. At least they were allowed to take their time to gather whatever things they needed from their own ships. It turned out that Luke only had a few essentials that fit in his X-wing. That would not do. Lando was not going to have his Jedi bodyguard walk around in his pilot fatigues and the now worn-out black jumpsuit. No way. He had standards after all. They needed to go shopping before leaving.

Thankfully Luke was open to this idea. Lando knew many people (read: Han) who wouldn’t have taken too kindly to the demand. Luke, as a matter of fact, understood the importance of appearances and making a good first impression. There was a big difference in the impression of someone dressed in the orange X-wing pilot fatigues with grease stains as opposed to someone with a clean, stylish suit. And Luke needed several of those.

“Are you completely sure all of these are necessary?” Luke asked at the end of the day as he and Lando were returning to the consular ship assigned to them, both carrying multiple boxes and bags containing more items of clothing than what Luke had owned in his entire life.

“Oh yeah,” Lando answered. “I checked which worlds we’re supposed to visit and took all of those into account. Some places are more formal than others and we’re undoubtedly expected to attend banquets and whatnot, and I also made sure you won’t be wearing colors that have negative cultural associations attached to them in any of the places.”

Luke gave Lando an incredulous look, but apparently decided not to argue. Instead he said, “You know that I’m not gonna be able to pay you back all of these anytime soon.”

Lando waved his left hand in a dismissing manner. “Don’t worry about it. If we both survive this mission, I’ll consider it a full payback.”

And quite honestly the clothes were a gift, but if it made Luke feel better this way, then so be it. Lando had had the time of his life on their shopping tour, and that alone made up for all the expenses. And he really couldn’t wait to properly see Luke wear those clothes. Fitting was one thing, seeing the clothes in action another completely.

They spent the rest of the evening settling down in the ship. Luke brought Artoo in as their designated astromech droid, and Lando made some modifications to the ship’s hyperdrive. Nothing that couldn’t be reversed, of course, as this wasn’t his own ship, but the hyperdrive needed a proper boost. As it was now the hyperspace jumps would’ve been painfully slow, and Lando hated slow hyperspace jumps.

The ship itself was alright. It wasn’t the flashiest or most luxurious ship Lando had ever been on or piloted, but it was well-suited for a long journey, and Lando was sure no one expected him to hold any formal meetings on board. There were cabins to hold a crew of about ten people, so if for some reason they had to house extra people, it would be no problem. For now Lando and Luke put the belongings they didn’t need that often in one of them.

“Well, I guess we’re all set,” Luke said after chucking his pilot fatigues in one of the closets. “I’d suggest we leave tonight but I don’t think Leia would forgive us if we left without saying bye to her and Raisa.”

Very true. Lando had long since made a solemn oath never to anger Leia. He’d felt her wrath once, and he valued his life too much to risk feeling it again. Besides, it didn’t make much of a difference to leave in the morning anyway. The first planet on their list was Hosnian Prime and it was so close to Chandrila that the journey didn’t take that long.

“Morning it is then,” Lando stated and passed the list of worlds they were supposed to cover to Luke. “By the way, thanks for volunteering to go with me. It’s nice to have a friend on board.”

“Anytime,” Luke answered with a small smile, making Lando smile as well.

* * *

Luke had no idea what possessed him to volunteer on this mission. The traveling wasn’t the problem, it was knowing that for the most part his role was going to be just standing in the side and being as inconspicuous as possible. Not really what he excelled at. He’d never really had the patience for those things.

But when Lando had volunteered, something inside Luke had screamed that he had to speak up and go along. And honestly, it was what friends were for. Not that Lando needed protecting, he never had, but since the Senate had insisted, why not help a friend out? Lando wouldʼve done the same, Luke had no doubt of it. 

“So why is Hosnian Prime on the list anyway?” Luke asked, peering at the list of worlds they were supposed to cover. “I thought they already were a part of the New Republic.”

“They are,” Lando answered as he submitted the coordinates in the shipʼs navicomputer. “Itʼs probably only a formality. Theyʼre having an annual festival, and weʼre expected to make an appearance.”

Great. Formal occasions. Another bane to Luke’s existence. This really was a bad idea, but it wasn’t as if he could back down now. Oh well, since he was with Lando, maybe it would be fun. Or at least tolerable, which still was a better prospect than the usual boredom Luke had experienced. Luke was by no means a good dancer, but he doubted he’d be required to do it anyway.

“Alright,” Luke nodded and got back to the list. Corellia, Onderon, Ithor, Lothal, Malastare… no surprises there. Kashyyyk was a bit of a surprise, given that Han was already over there with Chewie. By all accounts they should be able to negotiate a deal, but maybe it had to be official. Takodana would be interesting, given that it didn’t have a particular government, but given that Maz Kanata’s palace was a popular spot for refueling and resting, maybe the Senate wanted to make sure that any traders of the New Republic could safely go there.

At the end of the list Luke spotted a familiar name, and his stomach churned. Tatooine. He’d figured that after rescuing Han he’d never have to go back there. Why did the Senate even think Tatooine wanted to be a part of the New Republic? Jabba the Hutt had had no interest in the Empire and had done his own thing. Though now that Jabba was dead there was a power vacuum that hadn’t been filled yet. So maybe that was why. The New Republic wanted to make sure that whoever ruled Tatooine would be at least somewhat cooperative. Made sense, though Luke still wasn’t keen on going there.

The penultimate planet on the list was Naboo, which Luke knew was only a formality the way Hosnian Prime was. Queen Soruna had been a supporter of the Rebel Alliance during the Civil War and after it, and had said that her government was ready to negotiate. Well, that meant that at least one planet would be friendly. Besides, Naboo had answers to questions Luke had recently started to ask.

And finally, Coruscant. Luke wasn’t particularly keen on visiting Coruscant either since he knew the purge of the Jedi Order had started there, by his father’s hand no less, but given that it was an important Core World and the Senate wanted to make the transfer of power as smooth as possible, it made sense that it would be a part of the negotiations. Luke had no idea what was going on in Coruscant at the moment in political sense. There probably was a governor of some kind, but had they stayed in power after Palpatine’s death?

Oh well, that was what Luke and Lando would find out in due time. With any luck, whoever was in charge of Coruscant now was also sympathetic towards the New Republic, or at least held no ill will and was open for negotiations.

It was going to be… well, fun was probably pushing it, but interesting at the very least. And Luke didn’t mind the opportunity to spend more time with Lando. They hadn’t seen each other that often after the Battle of Endor, what with Lando having returned to Cloud City and Luke trying to figure out how to rebuild the Jedi Order. At least that part of this mission was something Luke was looking forward to.

“So are you still gonna teach me to play Sabacc like you promised a while back?” Luke asked, passing the list back to Lando.

Lando seemed surprised to hear that. Had he expected that Luke had forgotten about it?

“Well… sure,” Lando answered with a bit of a sheepish smile. “That is, if you still want me to teach.”

“I do,” Luke said. “Han tried to last time I was visiting but turns out he doesn’t have the patience for it. Apparently I’m hopeless.”

“Oh? Then we have to fix that,” Lando said and winked. “But you have to promise you won’t cheat with the Force or anything.”

Luke laughed at that. “Don’t worry. Turns out being Force-sensitive means nothing in a game of Sabacc.”

Quite truthfully, Luke liked that there were things he couldn’t solve by using the Force, but there was no need to let Han know that. Or Lando, at least yet. Sometimes Luke appreciated having to get his hands dirty and doing things the old-fashioned way. It helped him stay grounded, remember that no matter what he was still a human. Sometimes he really needed that in his life.

* * *

Hosnian Prime did turn out to be a formality for the most part, just as Lando had predicted. The newly elected president of the Hosnian system, Chaelisa Yongwon, was a bright and cheerful young woman, only a little bit older than Luke and Leia, and a stark contrast to Senator Xiono. She was already expecting them when they landed, and instantly said that all the official business had been taken care of already.

“I thought you might want to enjoy our annual Star Festival rather than be stuck in negotiations,” President Yongwon said, “so I handled all the agreements and all you need to do is give them a read and sign them. There’s really nothing new in them that Senator Xiono hasn’t already brought up in the Senate.”

Lando and Luke glanced at each other. So instead of getting stuck at work they got to have a small vacation already? Well, they were not going to mind that at all.

“Thank you, Madam President,” Lando answered. “I’ll be sure to do that immediately so it won’t take time from the festivities.”

President Yongwon waved her hand in a dismissive manner. 

“Please, just call me Chaelisa in private, both of you,” she looked at Luke, who seemed surprised to be acknowledged like this. “Being called Madam President makes me feel like I’m at least fifty and I get enough of that when I lead the government.”

Lando chuckled and promised to do so. Chaelisa smiled and asked if they wanted accommodations in the presidential palace for their stay. The festival was going to last the whole week, and staying somewhere more spacious than the consular ship, as nice as it was, sounded like a good idea, so Lando and Luke agreed.

“Not gonna lie,” Luke said when they had been escorted to the suite where they would be staying for the week, “this is not what I expected at all.”

“Me neither,” Lando answered as he took off his cape and settled it in the coat rack in the entrance hallway. “But I’m not gonna complain. Getting to go to a festival is infinitely more fun than any negotiations.”

“So what kind of a festival is it anyway? I don’t know anything about the local culture.”

Lando rubbed his chin and checked his datapad. “Apparently it’s held in celebration of the meeting of some local deities who were lovers separated by the galaxy and can only meet once a year for this one week. They’re represented by two certain stars in the sky that get close to each other at this time of the year.”

Luke smiled at the story, and after taking his boots off headed inside the apartment.

“Bodyguard duty number one, always check the premises!” he announced, making Lando laugh. Like something bad really could happen to them there. The security here was tight; there wasn’t much of a chance anything got past the radar.

“Uh, Lando?” Luke called from somewhere within the apartment. “We have a problem.”

And of course everything was too good to be true.

Lando found Luke at what he assumed was the bedroom doorway. “What’s wrong?”

Luke sighed and shook his head. “There’s only one bed.”

Lando peeked inside the room. That couldn’t be right. Why would they only be given one bed when…? Well, kriff him. There really was only one bed. Lando rubbed the back of his neck in confusion. Chaelisa’s attendants clearly had misunderstood something here, otherwise they surely would’ve been given some other apartment.

The bedroom itself was large, about the size of Lando’s own bedroom at home in Cloud City, and the bed took a good portion of it. It looked quite nice, actually, with plush pillows and smooth burgundy sheets that probably were made of silk. But still, it was just the one bed and the entire setup of the room was… oddly romantic, to be honest. And that just raised a whole bunch of questions on what Chaelisa’s staff had been thinking.

“Well,” Lando said. “That’s not ideal.”

Luke raised an eyebrow at him as if to say “ya think?”

Lando crossed his arms and said, “It is big enough to fit us both though, and…”

He trailed off as he spotted something on the pillows. Could it be…? It was! The famed hand-made premium chocolate of Hosnian Minor, Hosnian Prime’s neighbor planet. It was the best chocolate Lando had ever had in his life! This was amazing!

Luke waved his hand across Lando’s face. “You okay?”

“Luke, I’m gonna part some wisdom now,” Lando said with a serious tone and pointed at the pillows. “That over there, that is the best chocolate in the galaxy. And you have to remember it, it’s very important.”

Luke stared at Lando for a moment before he crossed his arms and said with a mischievous grin, “Well I’m gonna need some proof on that.”

Lando walked to the bed, picked up one of the chocolates, and opened the wrapping as he got back to Luke. He held up the chocolate and said, “Open up.”

Luke laughed and opened his mouth. Lando popped the chocolate inside and waited for the reaction. Luke didn’t disappoint. He chewed for a moment and then moaned.

“Okay,” Luke said, his mouth still full. “You were right. That _is_ the best chocolate in the galaxy.”

Lando tilted his head. “Told you.”

Luke swallowed and scratched his head. “Back to the bed situation. What are we gonna do about it?”

Lando shrugged. Sure, there was a couch in the lounge, but that seemed like a waste of a perfectly good bed. Of course, if Luke was more comfortable sleeping apart, Lando wasn’t going to stop him, but they were friends and the bed was easily big enough for both of them. Surely they could share it for the week they were on Hosnian Prime.

“I don’t see why we can’t both sleep in it,” Lando said finally. “Besides, wouldn’t that be good bodyguarding?”

Luke crossed his arms and bit his lip in apparent consideration.

“Alright then,” he said. “It’s just a week and it’s a pretty big bed. And it is good bodyguarding, now that you mention it.”

So that was settled then, and Lando and Luke carried their luggage into the bedroom. The Star Festival was about to start and they had to get ready. Lando eyed his datapad for the agreements Chaelisa had sent while trying to figure out what he and Luke should wear. Something fairly casual since the festival wasn’t in and of itself a particularly formal occasion, but still something elegant. They had to make a good first impression to the people of Hosnian Prime after all.

It was a good thing they had gone shopping before leaving. After a bit of thought Lando had put together what he was sure were appropriate outfits. Both of their outfits had taken inspiration from the traditional Hosnian clothing in how they were cut; they were wrapped-front (left side was supposed to go over the right) and tied with a sash to hold it in place. Both were made of light cotton, so they were well-suited for the heat of Hosnian summer. Lando had chosen one that had reminded him of one of his capes: light blue with golden dragons embroidered over the left side. The tails of the dragons descended down to the hem of the outfit, circling around it. And while it wasn’t exactly traditional, Lando had added a dark blue cape with gold trimming to it. After all, it was a bit more him with the cape.

Luke’s outfit was simpler. It was white over the waist with light blue trimmings, and below the waist it was deeper blue. It had no embroidery, but the one-shoulder cape Lando had chosen to go with it had delicate golden flowers embroidered in it. Luke had rolled his eyes when Lando had shown him the cape, but the impression was just right. At the fitting, Lando had been rather taken aback at how handsome Luke looked in it.

“Lando, can you help me with this cape?” Luke asked out of the blue. “I don’t know how these clasps are supposed to go and I’m a bit scared.”

Lando couldn’t help a surprised laugh. “Scared? Of a cape? _You_?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Save your jokes, I’m actually getting tangled in this kriffing thing. Why do I even have to wear a cape?”

“Because it’s _fashion_ ,” Lando answered as he started to untangle the cape. Wasn’t it obvious? Luke clearly had a lot to learn about the art of fashionable cape-wearing. But first things first. Lando shook his head as he circled around Luke. How had he even got tangled in the cape in the first place?

In the end, Lando managed to free Luke from the evil clutches of the cape after several minutes of loud groaning and some very creative swear words from both of them. Given Luke’s innocent appearance, Lando had never expected him to know such foul words. But it made sense, he supposed, given that the Jedi had grown up on Tatooine. Lando brushed the cape a bit and then started to put it back in its place. With a side-glance he noted that Luke was biting his lip, but paid no further attention to it.

“There we go,” Lando said after he’d put the clasp on the sash in its place. “Good as new.”

“Once again you’re my hero,” Luke grinned. They chuckled about it for a moment before they realized that Lando’s hand was still resting on Luke’s waist. Lando pulled his hand back hastily.

“Um, sorry—” Lando stuttered, when there was a knock on the door. Luke rubbed the back of his neck with a faint blush on his cheeks as he went to answer. Chaelisa was behind the door with a woman who Lando assumed was her wife. They were both wearing the feminine versions of traditional Hosnian clothing and were evidently ready for the festival.

“You’re about to miss all the fun,” Chaelisa said with a bright smile while clearly eyeing Lando and Luke’s outfits. Lando hoped there wasn’t anything wrong with them. “Oh, I don’t think you’ve met my wife yet. General Calrissian, Master Skywalker, this is Yuna.”

Yuna Yongwon waved her hand. “It is an honor to meet you both. Is this your first Star Festival?”

Luke nodded, and Lando answered, “Yes, it is.”

“In that case you’re in for a treat,” Yuna said. “The organisers have surpassed themselves this year!”

“Shall we?” Chaelisa asked.

Lando flashed Chaelisa and Yuna his most charming smile. “Lead the way.”

* * *

“I’ve never seen anything like this before!”

The sheer amount of people was enough to take Luke by surprise when they made it outside to the park where the main events of the Star Festival were held. Music was mixed in the chatter of people, and there were so many stands full of different types of food and activities that Luke had no idea where to look.

This certainly wasn’t anything like Tatooine.

“This is new for me too,” Lando said, or rather shouted. It was the only way to hear anything through the noise.

“Is there anything you’d like to try first?” Chaelisa asked. “Or would you rather wander around on your own?”

Luke and Lando shared a look. Of course, Chaelisa and Yuna would probably know the best what to do here, but at the same time Luke was curious to see things on his own — while keeping an eye on Lando as well. That was his duty after all.

“I think we’ll look around on our own for a bit, if that’s alright,” Lando answered.

Chaelisa nodded. “You can get back to the palace from any of the park gates. Have fun!”

Yuna winked at them as she headed towards a stand that offered what Luke thought looked like live goldfish that was crowded by mainly children. Huh. Luke had never seen a tradition like that. And what was with that wink?

Lando grabbed Luke’s arm and held tight.

“Best do this or we’re gonna lose each other in this crowd,” he said.

Luke nodded, and they walked together down the alley of stands. There was so much going on that Luke had a hard time to keep a track of his surroundings. The only constant thing he knew was Lando’s arm around his. It… felt rather nice, actually.

Luke was so preoccupied that he didn’t even register Lando asking him something.

“Hey? Ground control to Luke Skywalker!”

Luke blinked. “Sorry, what?”

Lando shook his head with a smile. “I just asked if you were hungry.”

Oh. Oops.

Luke blushed. What kind of a bodyguard was he if he didn’t even hear Lando asking a question. But come to think of it, they hadn’t eaten in a while.

“Yeah, I could eat something,” Luke answered. “Any suggestions? I don’t know anything about local food culture.”

Lando looked around with a frown for a while before pointing at a stand that sold some sort of dumplings.

“Those are traditional, as far as I know,” he said. “Wanna give them a shot?”

Luke shrugged. “Sure,” he said, and they headed to the stand, their arms still locked together. The vendor spoke a local language, which Luke didn’t understand, but Lando seemed to speak it just fine, so he made the order.

The dumplings were savory, filled with meat and vegetables. They were surprisingly spicy, and the sensation didn’t even hit Luke properly until he had eaten three. And then it came at full force. His eyes watered at the heat, and he couldn’t help but flail his left hand.

“Oh, kriff.” Lando passed Luke a fourth dumpling. “This is sweet, it’ll take the worst edge away.”

Luke ate the sweet dumpling quickly, and after a while he could form proper words again. “Thanks,” he managed. “Never had those before. I had no idea they were so spicy.”

“And I didn’t know you had such low tolerance for spices,” Lando answered. “I’m so sorry, I should’ve asked.”

Luke shook his head. “It’s okay, it’s not like I even thought about it myself. Don’t worry about it.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.” Luke chuckled. “Well, at least I know next time to be more careful and ask before I eat something.”

“You’ve got a bit of the sauce on your chin,” Lando pointed out and reached out with a napkin to wipe it away.

Luke spluttered. “I can do that myself.”

“Least I can do after making you eat something too spicy,” Lando answered in a nonchalant manner. “There, all done. No extra sauce in places it shouldn’t be.”

“My hero,” Luke grinned and pretended to swoon. “How can I ever repay this kindness, my liege?”

Lando laughed. “Get us out of this alive and we’re even.”

They walked around the festival grounds until night started to fall and both of their feet were aching. They decided to stay for a little while longer to see the lanterns lit. It was, after all, sort of the point of the whole festival, even if they did have the whole week to enjoy it. But soon after watching the lanterns light the grounds it was clear they had had enough for one day. Lando had yawned several times, and Luke realized he had a hard time keeping his eyes open. It was time to head back.

Nothing remarkable happened for the rest of the night, which Luke was thankful for. He was so exhausted that he didn’t even actually register that he was sharing the bed with Lando. That is, until he woke up next morning to find out that sometime during the night they had curled up against each other.

Luke jumped up. That was not supposed to happen.

Alright, it was time for a shower anyway. Luke left the bed and headed to the ‘fresher. He grabbed his comlink on the way and absent-mindedly turned it on to see if there were any messages. What he did not expect was Wedge’s voice first thing in the morning.

_“Hey, Luke,”_ Wedge said in the message. _“Call me when you get this because I’m really shocked you didn’t tell me! Of course I’m happy for you, but you could’ve told me instead of making me find out on the Holonews! I thought we were friends! Anyway, yeah, call me!”_

Luke stopped shampooing his hair and stared at the comlink. What the kriff did Wedge mean?

It didn’t get any better from there. Next in the message row were Han and Chewie with a similar message, which only served to confuse Luke more, and finally Leia.

_“Luke,”_ she said in the message. _“I have no idea what’s going on between you and Lando, but whatever it is, don’t let it affect your duties. Seeing this mission through is more important than your personal relations. Call me later if you can, so we can talk this through, okay?”_

Luke finished his shower, wrapped a towel around his waist, and headed back to the bedroom. Lando had woken up while Luke was in the shower, and was now sitting on the edge of their bed, staring at what Luke figured was the Holonews. Maybe that would offer some explanation to the cryptic messages.

Lando looked up from his datapad and sighed upon seeing Luke. “Have you seen the news already?” he asked. “Because apparently according to the Holonet we are involved in a… hold on, where’s that quote… ‘illicit romance that defies every ancient Jedi code’. As if they knew _anything_ about ancient Jedi codes.”

“That explains all the messages I’ve got,” Luke answered, shaking his head. “No wonder our friends were all so worked up. Are there any holos?”

Lando turned his datapad for Luke to see, and there it was. It was slightly blurry, but Luke could clearly see that someone had managed to take a holo picture of Lando wiping his mouth. Another one depicted Lando holding Luke’s arm as they walked in the festival grounds. And sure, you could probably get the wrong idea if you didn’t have the context. It was probably an honest mistake.

“Well, if this is the biggest headline, it means nothing bad has been happening lately,” Lando stated. “Which, I guess, is not a bad thing.”

“Yeah,” Luke agreed. “I’d rather take the rumors of our outfits accidentally matching meaning we have a tragic forbidden romance than news about bombings of orphanages or something like that. Besides, it can’t get any worse from this, now can it?”

* * *

It really could get worse from that.

Lando and Luke spent the rest of their visit on Hosnian Prime explaining first to their friends and then to every curious journalist and passerby that they were _not_ an item. It didn’t help that their friends didn’t seem to believe them, and in places like Ithor and Lothal that relied on agriculture, they were even served “love food”. Though on Lothal Lando was sure that it was more a case of Hera Syndulla and Commander Rex messing with them rather than them actually taking the rumors seriously.

By the time they reached Tatooine, the entire galaxy seemed to be under the impression that they were involved in a very tragic forbidden romance. At first it had been funny, but now it was just getting very exhausting.

And that was why Lando and Luke both were grateful that no one on Tatooine seemed to be concerned with any of this. The planet didn’t have a formal leader yet, but the Hutts weren’t in power anymore, and it seemed like both Mos Eisley and Mos Espa were governing themselves, separately from each other. Mos Espa had a small council consisting of what turned out to be former slaves. They had successfully revolted sometime after the Battle of Endor. The chairperson was a Devaronian called Tallaan Huq, who had no love for either the Empire or the New Republic.

“This council will, however, be open for future trade negotiations,” they said after announcing that Mos Espa was not going to fall in the hands of oppressors again.

Lando nodded in agreement. “That is all the Senate wanted to know, and unless you have anything else for me to deliver back to Chandrila, I suppose we’re done here.”

Tallaan Huq looked around the council. Everyone shook their heads.

“Yes, I believe we’re done as well,” they said. “I would like to speak to your Chancellor in person at some point. We would all like to hear what she has to say.”

“I’ll let her know your frequency when I get back to Chandrila,” Lando promised and shook hands with every member of the council. “Thank you for receiving me and listening to what the New Republic has to say. It’s still very much a work in progress, but we will stay in touch about the trade negotiations.”

Next stop was Mos Eisley. The situation there was a lot more unclear. The power vacuum left by Jabba the Hutt was more obvious here, and it looked like the people were mostly fending for themselves. There were some demoralized Stormtroopers in cantinas, drinking their problems away, and plenty of suspicious businesses everywhere, but nothing to indicate that there was someone in charge.

Luke was squirming next to Lando as they drove on in their speeder.

“You okay?” Lando asked, stopping the speeder in front of a particularly shady-looking cantina.

Luke shook his head. “I have to get out of here. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

Lando frowned for a moment before remembering that Luke probably didn’t have a lot of good memories of Tatooine. He had, after all, been quite young when he witnessed the deaths of his aunt and uncle. Luke had been very brief about it the one time he had told Lando about it, during their preparations to rescue Han.

Lando wrapped his arms around Luke in what he hoped was a comforting manner. “It won’t be long. I’ll just find out if there’s anyone in charge, let them know about the New Republic, and then we can get the hell out of here.”

Luke nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”

Artoo stayed in the speeder to make sure no one stole it while Lando and Luke got out to ask the people what was going on. It turned out there were several criminal gangs fighting over the rule of the city, so Lando decided quickly that they’d return to Mos Eisley later. The last thing the Senate of the New Republic needed was to get tangled in criminal activity. The old Senate had been corrupt enough to last a lifetime.

They returned to the speeder and were just about to jump in when they heard shouting and the sounds of blaster shots. A stray shot almost hit Luke, but he managed to deflect it with his lightsaber. As one of the criminal gangs got closer, Luke had to deflect several more shots while Lando got in the speeder.

“Punch it!” Luke shouted and jumped inside with a backflip.

“Show-off,” Lando grinned and hit the gas pedal. It sure was a good thing Mos Eisley didn’t have speed limitations. They made it back to the docking bay where their ship was in the nick of time. While Luke got in to turn the engine on, Lando paid the woman, Peli Motto, who owned the docking bay and had been watching over their ship.

Lando made it inside the ship at the same time as Luke started to take off. Maybe it was because they had spent so much time together, but they had started to be in sync more often than they had before. Even more than that, it felt natural. Lando shook his head and headed to the cockpit where Luke had just put in the coordinations to their next destination.

“I hate bringing bad news back to Mon Mothma, but this likely was the safest thing for us to do,” Lando said once they were safely in hyperspace. “But at least Mos Espa seemed to be doing alright, all things considered.”

Luke didn’t reply, so Lando patted his shoulder and left the cockpit for the lounge. It was still a good while they had to spend in the hyperspace, and he could really use some good rest before they reached their next destination.

Naboo.

* * *

Luke was relieved to be finally out of Tatooine. It had only been a day on the surface but that had been more than enough of bad memories. Well, at least things seemed to have gotten better since the last time, and the Hutts weren’t in charge anymore. Maybe even Tatooine was capable of change, even if that change was slow in some places.

And now they were on their way to Naboo. At last.

Luke rubbed the back of his neck and got up from the pilot’s chair. Artoo whistled at him inquisitively.

“Yeah, I thought I’d go put my feet up until we land on Naboo,” Luke answered. “Mind being in charge here?”

Artoo replied with an affirmative beep. Luke smiled and patted the droid’s dome before heading out. His bunk had never been so inviting during the time Luke had spent on board this ship.

On his way Luke passed the ship’s lounge and briefly looked inside. For a moment he thought he had imagined the whole thing, so he had to look again. But it was very real. Lando was asleep on the couch. It was a rare thing to see him sleep somewhere so open, or so vulnerable — usually he was always on his guard in some way. Luke chuckled to himself and went inside to get a blanket from the armchair.

As Luke spread the blanket over Lando his hand accidentally brushed Lando’s hair. Wow, he really did have nice hair. Its texture surprised Luke — it was much softer than he had pictured. It smelled nice too. Lando had to be using some kind of special shampoo or conditioner for it, nothing else explained it. Luke made a mental note to check the ship’s ‘fresher. Of course, he could just ask, but then he’d have to tell Lando why he was asking, and that could get really awkward really fast. 

And that was the last thing Luke wanted. Not just because they still had Naboo and Coruscant to cover, but also because…

Luke pulled his hand back. He had to leave before he’d risk the temptation to brush Lando’s hair again, this time on purpose, and potentially wake him. The last thing the two of them needed was an uncomfortable atmosphere for the rest of the mission. No, Luke had to go and clear his head. Negotiations with the Nabooian government might’ve been just a formality, but he’d still need to focus.

Finally making it to his cabin, Luke kicked his boots off, jumped into his bunk, and buried his face into his pillow. What was going on with him lately? It was as if the mere sight of Lando messed up his train of thought, and that had never happened before. Why now? What was different?

Luke rolled over and stared at the ceiling. This was ridiculous. He had to think of something else, _anything_ else. This was not the time to behave like a lovesick teenager, he had a duty to commit to, and…

Luke jumped up, eyes widened.

Oh.

_Oh._

Oh, kriff. This could not have happened at a worse moment. Luke slapped his forehead and cursed under his breath. Why did it have to be now? Had it been any other time, this would’ve been… well, completely different. He couldn’t deal with this right now.

Luke sighed and closed his eyes. Worrying about this had to wait for another day. Besides, they were almost on Naboo. With any luck they could stay for a while, and Luke could finally see if he could find the answers he had been looking for ever since the Battle of Endor.

* * *

The negotiations had gone well. There had been no surprises, and Queen Soruna had been happy to see both Lando and Luke. She was now serving her second term and had done well rebuilding Naboo as far as Lando could see. Theed, the capital, was flourishing again, and the Nabooians and the Gungans had started to rekindle their former alliances. Luke had stayed outside the conference room as per requested by the Nabooian delegation. Guards were posted at the doors, and Lando had a small blaster with him, so while Luke had clearly disliked the idea of leaving him, he hadn’t said a word.

“We will also be happy to take in refugees if needed,” Queen Soruna said at the end of the negotiations. “We have the resources to do so, in case Chancellor Mothma asks.”

“I’ll pass it on to her when I get back to Chandrila,” Lando promised.

“I think everything is settled then,” Queen Soruna concluded the meeting. “Will you and Master Skywalker be staying for longer?”

Lando shrugged as he got up after the Queen. “I don’t know yet. I’ll have to go ask him. We’ll let you know when we do, Your Highness.”

Luke wasn’t outside the doors when Lando got out. Huh. That was odd. Where in the galaxy could he have gone? None of the royal guards seemed to know either, so Lando sighed deeply and went to look for his Jedi bodyguard.

Lando found Luke on the courtyard gazing upon a stained glass that depicted a young woman in full Nabooian regalia, with the white face paint and an elaborate headdress. A former queen, maybe? It was a beautiful stained glass, but Lando couldn’t figure out why Luke was so interested in it to save his life.

Lando patted Luke’s shoulder.

“Hey.”

Luke smiled at Lando and then looked back at the stained glass. “This is apparently my mother. Queen Amidala, as she was known during her reign.”

Well, to Luke’s credit, Lando had heard crazier things in his life. And if Luke’s father was Darth Vader (which was not common knowledge, as far as Lando knew the only people apart from Luke and Leia who knew about it were him, Han, Chewie, and Ahsoka Tano), then just as well his mother could’ve been a former queen of Naboo.

“She has a kind face,” Lando commented and nudged Luke with a wink. “Kinda like someone else I know.”

Luke chuckled at that, with a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. 

“I wish I’d known her. When I was younger, I always asked about my father, but now, after Ahsoka told me who she was… I wonder what she was like. Does she still have family here? I don’t know anything. Leia remembers images about her. Well, they’re more like feelings according to her, but I’ve got no memory of my mother.”

Lando rubbed his chin. “We could ask Queen Soruna. I’d be surprised if there weren’t any records of her predecessors and their families.”

Luke blinked and said nothing for a bit.

“Won’t that be an odd request?” he asked finally. “I mean, no one besides us two, Ahsoka, and Leia knows about this, her being my mother—” Luke nodded towards the stained glass “—and I don’t really feel like declaring it to the entire galaxy.”

That was true. Then again, Queen Soruna didn’t tend to ask too many questions unless something seemed suspicious to her, and Lando could hardly imagine she’d find Luke suspicious in any way. Luke really didn’t have a sneaky bone in his body, and in some odd way Lando appreciated that. Luke was probably the most genuine person Lando had ever met, and it was refreshing, not having to wonder if he’d get double-crossed at some point. It made being with Luke so easy and comfortable.

“You’ll never know unless you ask,” Lando said matter-of-factly. “I think it’s worth the shot.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well,” Lando shrugged, “if there was a possibility that I had family I hadn’t met somewhere in the galaxy and was presented with a chance to find out, I’d take it.”

Luke glanced back at the stained glass in thought. Lando could tell he was trying to reach a decision.

Eventually Luke sighed and said, “Alright then. Let’s ask Queen Soruna and hope she doesn’t ask any questions.”

“That’s the Luke I know!” Lando exclaimed and wrapped his arm around Luke’s shoulders as they walked back inside the Royal Palace of Theed. Luke seemed to relax a bit, and if Lando had made that happen, well…

It was a good thing, wasn’t it?

* * *

Queen Soruna raised an eyebrow when Luke and Lando came to her asking if there were any records of her predecessors, but took them to the record archive regardless. Luke was relieved when she didn’t ask any follow-up questions. Explaining his relation to one of the former queens would’ve required explanation skills he simply didn’t possess. This was going a lot better than what he had expected.

“Which one of my predecessors interests you, Master Skywalker?” Queen Soruna asked.

“Queen Amidala, Your Highness,” Luke answered as the Queen disappeared in between the shelves that held the holofiles.

“Oh, indeed?” the Queen commented. “One of our finest queens to date. I grew up on stories of her, admiring her. It is said that people wanted to change the constitution so that she could’ve stayed in office after her two terms as queen had ended. She was very popular, and her successor, Queen Réillata, asked if she could serve as a senator because of it, and she did. Ah, here we are.” Queen Soruna returned and opened a holofile. “Queen Amidala, born Padmé Naberrie. Daughter of Jobal and Ruwee Naberrie, both of whom are still alive.”

Luke glanced at Lando, half incredulous and half hopeful. Lando nodded towards Queen Soruna, silently urging Luke to go on. Luke nodded back and turned his attention to the Queen again. Lando was right, even though he didn’t say anything. Luke couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

“Is it possible to arrange a meeting?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound too eager. “I know this is an odd request, and I’m sorry if this causes you any trouble, Your Highness.”

“Not at all,” Queen Soruna answered with a serene smile. “I will have my secretary contact them. Is it safe to assume you both will be going?”

Luke and Lando looked at each other and nodded unanimously.

“I volunteered as General Calrissian’s bodyguard,” Luke said. “I don’t think I can just go and abandon that task.”

“Not really, no,” Lando agreed and wrapped his arm around Luke’s shoulder again. “Besides, I think _you_ need my emotional support if they agree to meet you.”

Well, Luke wasn’t going to argue with that. He really did need it. It wasn’t every day you had the possibility to meet your grandparents for the first time after not even knowing about them for the vast majority of your life.

“Thank you so much for this, Your Highness,” Luke said. “If I can ever do you a favor, please, just ask.”

Queen Soruna nodded, and looked, not for the first time, wise beyond her years. “I will remember that, Master Skywalker, and I hope you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

* * *

The Naberrie residence was located in Naboo’s countryside, away from the bustling of Theed. Even with his nerves, Luke couldn’t help but be blown away by the beauty of the scenery. If there was a complete opposite to Tatooine in the galaxy, Naboo had to be it. The scenery was dominated by various waterfalls and vast meadows, and at some point the meadows started to turn into lakes. They were heading to the Lake Country, noted to be one of the most beautiful locations in the entire galaxy.

Luke could easily see himself retiring there one day.

Artoo whistled as they got closer to the Naberrie residence, and Lando parked their speeder a short walk away from the front gate. It was quiet, apart from some birds that were singing and the chirping of insects in the bushes that covered the fence surrounding the residence. It was the most idyllic place Luke had ever been to. Lando had insisted that they both ought to dress up, and as such Luke was wearing a more fashionable version of his usual Jedi robes, with a cream-colored tunic over well-tailored pants and quality leather boots. Lando himself had opted for a plum-colored silk shirt combined with a matching cape, black trousers, and dress shoes.

“Well… here we are,” Luke said, a nasty feeling settling in his stomach. He had been surprised when Queen Soruna had contacted him two days after their initial meeting and had told him that Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie had decided to agree on a meeting, and he had been excited too, but now that he was here it took everything in him not to run away.

“You okay?” Lando asked as they approached the gate together, Artoo in their tow.

Luke nodded. “Yeah, just… nervous. I know they agreed to meet me but…”

“But?” Lando prompted.

Luke closed his eyes and sighed. “What if they don’t like me?”

Lando chuckled and took Luke’s face in his hands. “You should have a higher opinion of yourself. You’re brilliant and amazing and one of my favorite people in the galaxy. Besides, you’re their grandson. They’re gonna love you.”

Luke managed a small smile. Despite everything, Lando managed to make him feel better. He always did. Funny how Luke hadn’t realized that before now. Whether it was something Lando said or simply a smile, it was enough. No one else had that effect on Luke, even Han or Leia. Something about Lando just made Luke feel things he didn’t dare to name just yet. But maybe someday. And — after taking one more bracing breath — Luke pushed the gate open.

The Naberrie residence was in a beautiful spot near one of Naboo’s many lakes. The house itself was behind an orchard full of trees Luke didn’t know, but they all seemed to be bearing fruit. The pathway to the house was paved with smooth, round rocks, and the house itself was surrounded by flower benches in full bloom and vines climbing up the pale yellow stone walls.

This was it. This was where Luke’s mother had grown up.

There didn’t seem to be anyone around though. That was odd. Luke’s grandparents knew they were coming, so where were they? Surely they couldn’t have forgotten already? Luke bit his lip, unsure how to go on from here, when the figure of a middle-aged woman appeared on the patio. She stared at Luke and Lando for a moment before she walked down the stairs to them.

“Are you Luke Skywalker?” she asked. Luke realized that she looked a lot like his mother, only much older. Her greying brown hair was tied on a bun to the back of her head and she was wearing a dark green jacket and brown trousers, both embroidered with gold thread.

Luke nodded, afraid of whatever odd sounds might’ve come out of his mouth if he had opened it and attempted to talk.

The woman offered Luke a gentle smile. “My name is Sola. I… Padmé was my younger sister. So I guess… that makes me your aunt.”

This… was not what Luke had expected to hear. He had another aunt? What other relatives did he not know about?

“How… how do you know that?” Luke asked.

“Your last name,” Sola Naberrie answered. “We knew Padmé had been pregnant when she was brought back here for her funeral, but we always thought her child died with her. We also knew she had something going on with a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker, though we weren’t sure how serious it was back when Padmé brought him for a visit. In any case, I suppose Skywalker isn’t that common a last name in the galaxy, is it?”

Luke tilted his head in acknowledgement. That made perfect sense. Of course, if the Naberrie family had also known his father, they would’ve put two and two together.

“No, Skywalker isn’t a very common last name,” Luke answered. “I just… always figured my parents kept their relationship a secret.”

Sola snorted and shook her head. “The one time Padmé brought Anakin for a visit they were not subtle about their mutual attraction. I even joked about it to her and she got very defensive about it. It was obvious there was something going on.”

Well, hearing that did not surprise Luke in any way. He had talked to his father’s Force ghost a couple of times and there really wasn’t a subtle bone in his body (not that he even had a body anymore).

Sola took a deep breath and looked up; it was as if she was trying to hold back tears. After gathering herself she gave Lando a curious look.

“I’m Lando Calrissian,” Lando introduced himself. “I’m officially here on Naboo as an ambassador of the Senate of the New Republic. Luke volunteered to be my bodyguard.”

“Ah.” The look on Sola’s face was odd, like she was remembering something. She recollected herself fast, though. “Well, it’s best you come in. My parents are making us lunch. My children will join us later, and… Artoo?”

“You know my droid?” Luke asked, quite shocked he could speak at all.

“He belonged to Padmé last time I saw him,” Sola answered. “Used to make my child Ryoo laugh when they were a baby.”

Wait, what? Luke frowned first at Sola and then at Artoo. His brain had a hard time trying to keep up with all this.

Artoo warbled a greeting and Sola laughed before gesturing to the trio to follow her. Luke glared at Artoo. The droid couldʼve damn well told him that he used to belong to his mother. What else did Artoo know that he hadn’t bothered to tell? Luke made a mental note to confront Artoo later.

Luke and Lando followed Sola inside the house. It was just as lovely and serene from the inside as it was outside. It was light, and there were huge archways that gave to the lake. If things had gone differently, could Luke have spent his childhood in a place like this with Leia and their parents?

“Mom! Dad!” Sola called. “They’re here!”

Luke reached out to squeeze Lando’s hand. This was it.

Two elderly people emerged from the kitchen. Ruwee Naberrie was using a cane, and his wife Jobal was in a hoverchair. They both had very kind faces, and Luke felt so stupid for having been afraid of this meeting.

Jobal approached Luke much faster than her husband did. She looked up at Luke’s face, and sniffed.

“You look so much like my Padmé,” she said softly and spread her arms. And for the first time in his life, Luke hugged his grandmother. It reminded him of Aunt Beru. There was the same warmth and acceptance. It felt almost like home.

“Aye, it’s true,” Ruwee said as he made his way to them. “When Queen Soruna called us and told someone named Skywalker wanted to meet us, I thought I was going to fall over.”

Luke let go of Jobal and greeted Ruwee by shaking his hand. “Sorry about that… Grandfather.”

Ruwee waved his free hand in a dismissing manner. 

“Call me Grandpa like my two other grandchildren do. No need to be so formal among family.” He, too, sniffled. “We knew Padmé was pregnant, but when her body was brought back here, we were told the baby died with her.”

Luke rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah, that’s what Sola told me as well. It’s a bit of a long story, and I don’t have all the details myself.”

“Well, we have time,” Jobal said serenely. “Sola and I prepared a guest room for you since we assumed you’ll be staying for a while. Unfortunately, since Ryoo and Pooja will join us later it will be a bit cramped, so you two have to share.” She nodded towards Lando. “I hope that’s not an issue.”

Lando shook his head. “No, of course not, ma’am. Luke and I have been sharing a room for most of our mission.”

“Now don’t you get formal either,” Jobal scolded in a motherly manner. “Please, just call me Jobal. Now, sit around the table. Lunch is almost ready.”

“Can we help with anything?” Luke asked. Both Jobal and Ruwee insisted that they could handle everything on their own, and that if they needed help they’d ask.

Sola patted Luke’s shoulder. “They’ve got pretty stubborn with age. Best just roll with it unless Dad falls over.”

“Are you sure?” Luke glanced towards the kitchen with concern.

Sola nodded. “Don’t worry about it, Luke. Doing these things without help keeps them in shape, actually.”

The only help Ruwee and Jobal accepted was their protocol droid that carried the heaviest tray to the table. Otherwise they did everything on their own, and Luke noted they were very sprightly for their age. Sola was right, there was nothing to worry about.

The lunch was spent mostly by asking questions. Luke had no idea where he should’ve started, so instead he let his aunt and grandparents ask him about his life, to which he responded as well as he could. He was mostly able to tell about his life on Tatooine, his Jedi training, fighting in the Galactic Civil War — and Leia. That was a piece of information that made his family go completely silent for a moment.

“So Padmé had twins,” Ruwee said with a thick voice. “I wish we’d known.”

“Do you think Leia might want to meet us?” Jobal asked.

Luke thought about it for a moment. While Leia had never shown any interest for the Skywalker side of their family (quite understandably so), it couldn’t hurt to ask if she’d like to know the Naberrie side. It would be nice to come here with her, and Ruwee and Jobal could also meet their great-granddaughter.

“I’ll ask her when we get back to Chandrila,” Luke promised. “She had a daughter of her own a while back, a cute little girl she named Raisa, after an Alderaanian moon.”

Then they finally heard two voices coming from the entrance hall.

“Mom! Grandma! Grandpa!”

“We’re here!”

Sola smiled and put her fork down. “Those are my kids. Ryoo! Pooja!” she called. “In the dining room!”

Ryoo and Pooja Naberrie both took very much after their mother in terms of their looks, but Ryoo had dyed their short hair pastel purple, which made them stand out in the otherwise brunette family. Pooja seemed more timid than her sibling, judging from the way she was partially hiding behind Ryoo. Still, they were both smiling, and joined the rest of the family at the table after staring at Luke for a moment.

“So, you’re our long lost cousin then, right?” Ryoo said after accepting a bowl of soup from their grandmother.

Luke nodded with a chuckle. “I guess that’s how it is.”

“So where have you been hiding all this time?” Ryoo asked. Sola rolled her eyes at her child, and looked like she was about to chide them.

“It’s okay, Aunt Sola,” Luke said. “I grew up on Tatooine with my Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. It’s a long story.”

Luke gave his cousins a quick recap. When he reached the part where he destroyed the first Death Star, both Ryoo and Pooja were completely starstruck.

“You really took down the Death Star?” Pooja repeated, eyes round.

“Yep,” Luke said in a nonchalant manner and pointed at Lando with his thumb. “And Lando here took down the second Death Star.”

Lando clearly hadn’t expected to receive all the attention so suddenly, as he cleared his throat several times before saying, “Um, yeah. Yeah. I did that.”

Jobal laughed. “Oh, you _are_ Padmé’s son, Luke. I think she would’ve tried to pull something like that as well.”

“At the very least she would’ve worked for the Rebel Alliance,” Ruwee added. “That was our Padmé, always working for a fairer galaxy for everyone.”

“I wish I could’ve known her,” Luke sighed wistfully. “She sounds like an amazing woman.”

Ryoo had only met Padmé a couple of times and didn’t remember her well, while Pooja hadn’t known her at all, so it was up to Sola, Jobal, and Ruwee to share all possible stories about Padmé. By the time they were finished, Luke was so overwhelmed that he had to admit that he needed to lie down for a moment.

Sola took Luke and Lando upstairs to one of the bedrooms. It wasn’t very big, but it was light and it had a balcony. There was only one bed, which at this point didn’t surprise either of them; it had already become a pattern. They decided not to say anything about it. The Naberries were kind enough to accommodate them for a few days, so it would’ve been rude to complain about something that honestly wasn’t that big a deal.

Luke settled down on the bed and closed his eyes. This had gone so much better than any scenario he had run in his head before meeting his grandparents. Sola had been a surprise, but a very pleasant one, and the same could be said about Ryoo and Pooja. Luke couldn’t wait to get to know them better, and maybe even introduce them to Leia.

“See?” Lando said, settling down next to Luke. “I told you they would love you.”

Luke couldn’t help but laugh. Well, that certainly was true. “Yeah, you were right.”

“Ergo you should listen to me more often,” Lando stated. “It actually pays off, you know.”

“Alright, alright. Don’t get cocky over this!”

“I’m never cocky!” Lando protested, making Luke roll his eyes in amusement. Sure, whatever he said.

Luke let out a relieved sigh. Everything had gone better than he had expected, and he felt like he was finally one step closer to understanding himself.

* * *

Lando enjoyed the stay at the Naberrie residence. It was the most peaceful time he and Luke had this entire time they had been traveling. They helped Jobal and Ruwee out in the daily tasks whenever they were allowed to, and assisted Sola, Ryoo, and Pooja in harvesting the orchard trees four days into their stay. The Naberries grew the fruit mostly for their own use, but Pooja sometimes sold the fruit pies she baked, and upon discovering that both Lando and Luke were very eager to try her pies.

“They’re really not that special,” Pooja said while baking one. “I just like making food.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Ryoo chimed in from the doorway. “She’s just overly modest. Her food is always delicious, she gets it from Grandma. And I’m not saying this just as her very biased sibling.”

Lando smirked and glanced at Luke. “That sounds like someone I know.”

Luke rolled his eyes, but the blush on his cheeks was evident. It was so adorable. Lando could’ve honestly watched it for hours.

“Anyway,” Luke said in a clear attempt to change the subject. “Is there anything we can help at?”

Pooja looked around the kitchen. “Well, if you boys could get the jam started, I’d be grateful.”

Lando had never made jam in his life, but somehow Luke had, apparently by the courtesy of his late Aunt Beru. Not a skill you’d expect someone coming from _Tatooine_ to have. What other surprises was the Jedi hiding? Was he actually a competitive swimmer as well or something? Lando asked Luke this out loud, making him laugh as they were mixing sugar with the fruit in the kettle.

“No, I’m very much not,” Luke said, still chuckling. “I can swim just fine nowadays, but I’m not a very fast swimmer.”

“Alright, not that then.” Lando stirred the fruit until the mix started to turn sticky. “But something else, perhaps? Do you secretly write love poetry?”

Luke laughed again. “As if. I think we both know I’m not that good with words.”

“Have you even tried?” Lando asked with a grin.

“You sure you wanna do this while stirring a hot fruit mixture?” Luke countered, and Lando decided to drop the subject. He decidedly was _not_ keen on getting hot fruit concoction all over himself.

Making the jam turned out to be easier than Lando had thought, and there was something deeply satisfying to make it from scratch. This was also the first time in ages, Lando realized, that he and Luke had laughed together so freely. Luke had been so somber lately that it was a relief to see him smile again.

“Alright, I think the jam is done,” Luke said a little bit later and stopped stirring the mixture. “Now we just gotta let it cool before it can be spread on the pie.”

Pooja peered inside the kettle and made an appreciative hum. “Looks good to me. Nice work, both of you. I’ll take it from here, you can go do whatever.”

Lando glanced at Luke as they walked away from the kitchen. “Anything you’d like to do? I think we’re all set with the chores for now.”

Luke scratched the back of his neck, deep in thought. Not that there was that much to do besides relaxing by the lake now that the chores were done, but it never hurt to ask. This whole visit was Luke’s thing after all, he ought to have a say in what they were doing there.

“Do you know how to sail?” Luke asked finally. “I think I’d like to go see the lake properly. It’s my first time seeing anything like it.”

“Well,” Lando said tentatively, “I’m not an expert, but I suppose I could steer a boat just fine. It can’t be _that_ different from flying a ship, can it?”

So that was settled. Jobal and Ruwee agreed to borrow their old row boat for the day when Lando and Luke went to ask them if they happened to own any sort of boat.

“It should still be in good shape,” Jobal said when she took Lando and Luke to the boathouse, “even though we haven’t used it in years. Don’t steer too far from the shore though.”

“We promise, Grandma,” Luke answered and hugged Jobal. “Thank you.”

Jobal had an odd, somehow wistful, smile on her face when she said, “Have fun,” and returned to the main house. Lando frowned as he watched her go in her hoverchair. _Huh, wonder what that was all about_ , he thought before turning his attention on the boat. At least on the first look Lando couldn’t detect any issues with it. The bottom seemed intact and the oars were in good shape.

“Right, I don’t see how this boat couldn’t be seaworthy,” Lando stated.

“We’re on a lake though,” Luke grinned, making Lando scoff.

“You know what I mean. Enough with dumb jokes and help me push this thing in water.”

With a great effort they managed to push the boat from the boathouse to the shallow water by the shore. It was a nice day to do this; sunny and calm but not too hot. Lando helped Luke get in, and they were just about to take off when Artoo rolled down with indignant beeps. Apparently the droid had started to get lonely and was adamant to come along.

“Hope you’re not afraid of splashes, Artoo,” Lando said matter-of-factly. Artoo whistled as a reply to indicate that he feared nothing, and settled in the bow of the boat.

The lake was mostly still. There were some ripples further away, but otherwise Lando had never seen a lake so tranquil in his life. Steering a row boat was _very_ different from piloting a ship, but Lando got the hang of it quickly. The hardest part was to figure out the rhythm, the rest came to him easily.

Luke sat at the stern of the boat and watched the wake forming after them. It was honestly so endearing to see him so enraptured about small things like waves in the water. Deep down he was still a farm boy from Tatooine, and everything that wasn’t sand was a novelty for him. Lando couldn’t help but smile when Luke got excited about a school of fish swimming past them, their fins sparkling silver and gold in the sunlight.

“You know you’re entirely too cute for your own good, right?” Lando said without thinking. Kriff, he didn’t mean to say that out loud.

Luke turned to look at Lando with a blush on his face. “You really think I’m cute?”

“Um…” Why was it that Luke got him so tongue-tied? Lando cursed his entire existence at this point. Of course he thought Luke was cute, he’d just blurted as much, but…

“Hey, what was that?” Luke said suddenly, leaning over the starboard bulkhead.

Lando frowned, but was secretly relieved of the change of subject. “What was what?”

“There was a light over the water, just there!” Luke answered, pointing towards an island in the middle of the strait.

“Are you sure it wasn’t just, you know, the sun?” Lando asked, and Artoo whistled in agreement.

Luke huffed. “I know what I saw. There was a light and it was bright green. Kinda like… like my lightsaber.”

Lando turned to look at Artoo for help, but the droid hadn’t seen anything either. But Luke kept staring at the shoreline of the island stubbornly, as if the light would appear again — if it even had been there in the first place and it wasn’t just a reflection of the sun or something. Or then it was some kind of Force hijinks, which wasn’t an impossible alternative considering Lando’s experiences with Luke. It just took a lot of getting used to.

“Well,” Lando said after a moment of silence, “let me know if you see it again.”

Luke made a noise that Lando took as a yes. In any case the carefree atmosphere they had shared had ceased completely, and for some reason Lando hated it more than he reasonably should have. They had been having such a good time…

“There it is again!” Luke exclaimed, leaning over the bulkhead so far that Lando had trouble keeping the boat balanced. “Look! It’s by that cave on that island!”

Lando squinted at the direction Luke was pointing at, but couldn’t see any kind of light. Yep, this had to be Force hijinks, in which case Lando wasn’t going to get tangled in them any more than he had to.

“Lando, can you row us there?” Luke asked.

“Alright, fine,” Lando answered, “but you’ll have to row us back to your grandparents’ after you’ve checked that place out.”

Luke nodded. “Deal.”

The island wasn’t thankfully that far away, so Lando got them there quite fast and didn’t even have to ask Artoo for help. The cave Luke had spotted was hidden behind a waterfall, so Lando was even more convinced that this had everything to do with the Force, and as such he decided to stay in the boat while Luke went to see what was going on.

“We’ll be here when you get back,” Lando promised and patted Artoo’s dome. “And if you run into trouble, use your comlink.”

“I don’t think it’ll come to that, but thanks,” Luke answered and tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. “Sorry about this trouble, Lando. But this is just… something I have to do. Whatever it is… it’s calling for me and I feel… I feel like it’s important. And this is not the first time I’ve sensed this call. But I will come back.”

“Just stay safe, okay?” Lando said, briefly considering getting up and hugging Luke, but before he could reach a decision, Luke had jumped off the boat and headed to the waterfall. Lando sighed as Luke disappeared into it.

“Good luck.”

* * *

Every inch of Luke was trembling, but he wasn’t cold, not particularly. Something about this place was familiar but he couldn’t tell why. It was… like a dream, somehow. He could sense a presence, also someone familiar, like a friend. No, not a friend, more like… Luke shook his head. He didn’t know. All he knew was that whatever this presence was, he had to find it. It could be the key to the answers he’d been waiting for.

The cave seemed to go on for ages. The walls were glittering with thousands of gems, not that much unlike kyber crystals. The Force was strong here, but not quite the same way as that cave on Dagobah. This place felt kinder, somehow. Luke walked and walked, wondering where he was being tempted to go.

Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he should just turn around and go back to the Naberrie residence. This wasn’t even part of the mission he had volunteered to be a part of. And if he didn’t get back… No, he’d see this through and then get back to Lando. He could do this. He was a Jedi.

“Hello?” Luke called out. “Are you there? Can you show yourself, please?”

At first, there was no answer, but then the sparkling of the gems got brighter, and the green light moved onwards in the tunnel. Luke had to run to keep up. This was it.

“Hey, wait! Who are you?”

The light led him into what Luke thought was a mouth of a cave, but it was blocked by several boulders. The light went inside, and Luke knew what he had to do to follow.

_If only Master Yoda could see me now…_

Luke took one more bracing breath and thrust out his hands, throwing the rocks aside with the Force. The cave soon turned into a massive chamber, also filled with fallen rocks which Luke moved from the way as he walked onwards. He wasn’t trembling anymore. What fear he had felt was gone.

At last Luke cleared all the rocks from his path and made his way to the center of the room, and the light started to circle around him, like it was greeting him. Like it… knew him? Luke reached out, beckoning the light to come to him. He needed to know. _Don’t make me wait one more moment, please…_

“Who are you?” Luke asked again. “You’ve been calling for me, and here I am now. It’s your turn. Show yourself.”

The light circled around him once more and then settled right in front of him. It started to take form. At first it was abstract, and then it became more and more human, until it had taken the form of a brown-haired young woman. Luke gasped. He knew her.

“Mom?”

Padmé Amidala smiled at him gently. 

“Hello, Luke,” she said with a soft voice. “You’ve grown so much.”

Luke held back tears with unremarkable success and reached out. 

“Are you… are you really here? I thought…” 

That only a few skilled Jedi could become Force ghosts was what Luke was going to say, but the words caught up in his throat. Whatever he had expected to face, coming to this cave, was certainly not _this_.

“Yes, I’m here,” Padmé assured him. “The Force is strong in this cave, and I’m getting a little help from a couple of old friends. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn was the first one to figure out how to… do this. He’s helping me manifest right now, with Obi-Wan, and your father.”

Ah, that made sense. Of course Padmé would’ve known Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Luke wiped his eyes. “I miss you.”

Padmé’s smile turned sad. “I know, sweetheart. I miss you too, and Leia as well. I’m sorry I couldn’t raise you. Between having a complicated birth and dealing with the heartbreak of your father having turned to the Dark Side… I’m afraid I didn’t have the strength…”

Luke shook his head. “Mom, I understand. It’s okay. I just… I keep doubting myself. I never knew you, or Father, not really anyway. And it hasn’t been that long since I found out that Leia was my sister. I… I’m not sure I know who _I_ am, deep down.”

Padmé reached out to take Luke’s face between her hands. It was an odd sensation, as she wasn’t exactly corporeal, but Luke could feel her. Her touch was like the warm breeze he had felt while gazing at the lake on the balcony at the Naberrie residence.

“That is something you have to find out for yourself, Luke,” Padmé said, “but I know you are kind and smart and so very full of love. Beru and Owen did an amazing job, raising you. They’re both very proud of the man you’ve become, as am I. And we will always be proud of you, no matter what.”

Luke sniffled, letting himself cry freely. Padmé wrapped her arms around him, and for a long time the only sound in the cave was Luke sobbing.

“I wish I could help you more,” Padmé said. “But I can’t stay for much longer.”

“But I only just met you!” Luke blurted.

Padmé smiled at him. “I know, sweetheart. You’ll always find me in the Force. Maybe not like this, but I will be there for you one way or another.”

Luke wiped his eyes again. “Okay.”

“Whatever decision you reach on who you are, stay true to yourself,” Padmé said, and to Luke she sounded like a true leader. No wonder she had been so popular in her time. “The Force will guide you, but it can’t take you all the way. And trust in your friends, they love you and will help you if you’ll just let them. Remember that you don’t have to take on more than you can carry alone.”

“I promise.”

Padmé looked up at the glittering crystals on the cave’s ceiling. “Time is almost up for me. I have to go. But don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” She let go of Luke, ready to leave, but halted. “Oh, and one more thing.”

“What is it?” Luke asked.

A playful smile spread on Padmé’s lips. “You should tell Lando how you feel about him. Trust me, it’ll be worth it.”

And with that Padmé turned into a light again, heading back towards the mouth of the cave. Luke was frozen in his spot, staring after his mother for a while before he was able to force himself to follow. How did she know…? Luke had to stop running to catch his breath and clear his head for a moment. Was he really that obvious? Or was it a mother’s instinct?

Luke took a deep breath and decided to wonder about everything later. Now he had to get out of this cave, back outside. Back to Lando. He’d promised he’d come back.

The trek back seemed a lot shorter somehow. Before Luke even knew it he could see the waterfall that hid the mouth of the cave again. It felt good to be back. The turmoil inside Luke had calmed down. Not everything was clear just yet, but that was alright. He’d got some peace of mind, and the rest could be figured out later. There was no rush. It was good to know there was no rush. He had time to figure out what he wanted from life.

And right now, all Luke wanted was to get back to his grandparents’ house and get something to eat, he was starving. This had taken longer than he had imagined, and it had been a while since he had last eaten.

Luke stepped through the curtain of the water cascading down the fall. Lando was still sitting on the boat with Artoo and it looked like he was talking to someone, probably Leia and/or Han. He was leaning against the palm of his hand, and Luke could tell by his body language that he was worried. Maybe Padmé _had_ been onto something

“... anyway, I gotta hang up now,” Luke heard Lando say. “Luke’s still not back, so I think I’m gonna call him, see if he’s okay.”

“ _Okay, we’ll talk more later_ ,” answered Leia (at this distance Luke could hear that it was his sister). “ _Say hi to him from me, okay?_ ”

“I will,” Lando said. “See ya, Princess.”

Leia snorted before hanging up. Lando rubbed the back of his neck and yawned before looking up right at Luke.

What happened next was a blur. Luke knew that Lando jumped up from the boat and ran to him, but it happened so fast that before he even realized it, he was wrapped in a tight embrace. Luke smiled against Lando’s shoulder. Right now he was exactly where he was supposed to be. Everything about this felt so right, like they were meant to be like this.

“Are you okay?” Lando asked. “You were in there for a really long time, I was getting so worried something had happened…”

“I’m fine,” Luke answered, and glanced at the waterfall one last time. “I think I finally found what I was looking for. Now, let’s go. I’m hungry, and didn’t I promise to row us back?”

There were still things left unsaid between him and Lando, but they could wait until after they had got something to eat. They had time.

* * *

Luke didn’t talk about his experiences in the cave, and Lando was fine with that. He wasn’t going to press the matter. Luke would talk when he was ready. But the change in him was striking. Whatever had troubled Luke throughout their journey had been solved, Lando could see that from Luke’s demeanor. He was at peace.

They still had to visit Coruscant, so two days after what Lando now called the Cave Incident, they decided it was time to go. They didn’t have a particular schedule, but the Coruscanti government knew they were coming and it would’ve been rude to keep them waiting for longer than was necessary. But that didn’t make leaving any easier. And it wasn’t just Luke who didn’t want to go. Lando, too, was reluctant to leave the peace and quiet of the Lake Country. Had it been up to him, they would’ve stayed at least for another week.

But duty called, and they had to follow it.

Even before they landed, Coruscant struck as a very hostile place compared to Naboo. The entire planet was one big city, and as such there was barely any green anywhere. And Lando didn’t have to be Force sensitive to know that the welcoming delegation was very tense about him and Luke being there. Well, no wonder, after the fall of the Empire, Coruscant hadn’t had one clear leader, and undoubtedly many people there thought that the Rebel Alliance had been the enemy and that the New Republic was not a legitimate government.

The welcoming delegation took them to the Governor’s Palace, which had previously served as the Senate Building for the old Galactic Republic Senate. The governor had apparently changed several times since the death of the Emperor, as his old court kept quarrelling among themselves. The current one was a gaunt woman called Korin Faidra, who, according to their escort, had been in Palpatine’s inner circle. Everything about her screamed exhausted when Lando met her.

“You’re from the New Republic?” Governor Faidra asked without any formalities. “Let’s get this over with, then.”

It quickly turned out that Governor Faidra wasn’t planning on staying in power any longer than she absolutely had to. She held no particular love for the New Republic, but she didn’t seem like an adamant supporter of the Empire or Palpatine either. The correct way to describe her was perhaps “resigned to her fate”.

“I’m sure that Chancellor Mothma and the Senate would hear you out if you wished to participate—” Lando started, but Governor Faidra raised her hand to interrupt him.

“No, I do not wish to participate in politics of any kind anymore,” she said sternly. “I was not even supposed to do _this_ , but after my predecessor was assassinated I saw no other option. I am staying in the office until a new governor and a senator are chosen, and then I retire.”

Lando nodded. Despite being on opposite sides, he could understand that, and he appreciated that Governor Faidra spoke her mind. For a politician she was very straight-forward.

“Well then, I suppose I’ll leave you to it,” Lando said and got up from his chair to shake Governor Faidra’s hand. “I’ve sent you the datawork. There shouldn’t be anything unclear or unbeneficial for Coruscant, but if you find anything you think is incorrect, we can discuss it.”

Governor Faidra tilted her head. “Are you authorized to do such a thing on behalf of Chancellor Mothma?”

Lando squinted at the governor. She was testing him, he could feel it.

“The Senate has authorized me to carry out any negotiations necessary to get a clear answer for me to deliver back to Chandrila,” Lando answered with his business smile, but he kept any warmth away from his tone. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Governor Faidra nodded in approval.

“Very well, I’ll see to the treaties,” she said. “And I suppose I will see you again tomorrow. I trust you and your…” she hesitated, glancing at Luke who was standing by the door of her office. “... your partner have been given accommodations?”

“We have, yes,” Lando answered. “Until tomorrow then, Ma’am.”

Lando turned to leave and offered his hand to Luke. They walked out of the office hand in hand. Artoo was waiting for them outside in a speeder that they were supposed to use during their stay. Not that this stay was going to be long. Lando wanted nothing more than to get out of Coruscant as soon as possible, and he was certain that Luke shared the sentiment.

They drove to an apartment complex in the Senate District and headed right up to the penthouse they were given for the few days they’d be staying in Coruscant. Artoo whistled loudly when they got inside with their baggage. Lando couldn’t make any sense of it, but Luke frowned.

“Are you serious?” he asked the droid.

Artoo whistled and beeped again, more insistently this time.

“What’s he saying?” Lando asked.

“That my _mom_ used to live in this very penthouse when she was the Senator of Naboo,” Luke answered, shaking his head. “I’m not even trying to understand how this was possible.”

Lando patted Luke’s shoulder. “It’s fine. Let’s just put our feet up for the rest of the evening. I’ll see if I can cook up some drinks for us.”

Luke smiled at him softly. “If there’s any means to make a mojito, I’ll have one.”

Lando dropped his baggage to the bedroom and then headed to the kitchen. The fridge was stocked and it looked like it was possible to put together a mojito. Everything had gone a lot better than he had expected. Sure, Mos Eisley had been a bit of a disappointment, but otherwise things had run smoothly, there had been no assassination attempts, and it seemed like the galaxy was finally returning to peacetime. Sure, things weren’t going to be the way they had been before the Empire (kriff, Lando couldn’t even remember time before Empire), but with any luck, things would turn out for the better.

“Ah, kriff, not _again_ ,” Luke groaned in the sitting room.

Lando put the lime he had been cutting down and went to the doorway. “What’s wrong?”

Luke was holding his head with one hand, and in the other he had his datapad. “Holonet newsfeed is going wild again. According to them, we disappeared for a romantic getaway while we were on Naboo, and Mon Mothma and Leia both refused to make any sort of comments concerning our ‘forbidden romance’ or whatever.”

Lando couldn’t help but laugh. Didn’t the Holonews reporters have anything better to do than spread silly rumors? Surely more important things were happening in the galaxy? Shaking his head, Lando returned to the kitchen and started to mix the mojito again. He was in the middle of squashing the limes and the mint leaves when he suddenly heard Luke shout.

“Lando, duck!”

“Huh?”

Luke ran into the kitchen, his lightsaber ignited, and deflected a blaster bolt that had hit through the window.

“I said duck!” Luke exclaimed, deflected another blaster bolt, and thrust out his left hand. Lando picked up his own blaster and set it for stun before he shot at the attacker who Luke was keeping in place with the Force.

The attacker was a bounty hunter, no mistake there, when Luke pulled them in with the Force. They were a Nikto, and Lando could recognize the bounty hunter guild’s mark in their armor. So much for no assassination attempts on this journey, then.

“Artoo, call security,” Luke said before he turned his lightsaber off and looked at Lando. “Are you okay?”

Lando grabbed Luke’s hand and held it tight. 

“Yeah,” he managed to answer, and that was all he was able to say until the security arrived and took the bounty hunter away. The head of the security asked Lando if he’d like to start an investigation, and Lando just about managed to nod, his eyes never leaving Luke’s face.

Luke had just saved his life. Of course he had, that was why Luke was here with Lando in the first place, to keep him safe. But even so Lando could feel that it wasn’t why Luke had done it. There was something else there, something left unsaid between them.

Luke waited until the security had left before he spoke again. 

“That was horrible,” he said. “If I’d been just a second too late…”

“But you weren’t,” Lando interjected and squeezed Luke’s hand, then bringing it up to his lips, brushing the knuckles softly. “I’m fine, honest. You were amazing.”

Luke shook his head. “That was not amazing! What part of the word ‘duck’ was so hard to get?! I could’ve lost you! And I… I thought…”

Lando wrapped his arms around Luke. Really, _he_ should’ve been the upset one here, not Luke. He was the one who had just almost been shot.

Luke buried his face against Lando’s shoulder, and the two of them stood there in the kitchen in silence for a good while. Lando rubbed Luke’s shoulder with his thumb while Luke tried to balance his breathing. And had it been up to Lando, he probably would’ve never let go. Everything about this felt so right. He had already thought about it on that island in Naboo, but now he was sure of it. If the definition of “home” could be a person, then Luke was that to Lando.

“I wanted to do this later,” Luke said finally. “After we’d finished our duties and got back to Chandrila. Somewhere peaceful.”

Lando stopped rubbing Luke’s shoulder. Could it be…?

Luke chuckled nervously. “Maybe I should just stop making plans. They never seem to work out the way I want.”

“What are you saying?” Lando asked, even though he was sure he knew. But it was safer not to assume. The odds were too high, even for him, if he happened to have misread the situation.

Luke moved back enough so that he could look Lando in the eye, while still having his hands on Lando’s shoulders.

“I think you know,” he said softly, biting his lip.

Lando cradled Luke’s face in his hands. “I need you to say it.”

Instead of answering verbally, Luke leaned up and pressed his lips against Lando’s. _Thank the Force_ , Lando thought for a split second before he leaned into the kiss with everything he had. That clearly excited Luke even further as Lando could feel him slip a little bit of tongue into the kiss. 

Oh. _Oh._ Okay, if that was how Luke wanted it…

Eventually they had to let go of each other to catch their breaths, but even then they kept holding each other, and Lando pressed his forehead against Luke’s.

“I love you, Lando,” Luke said, his voice trembling a bit. “And I should’ve told you already on Naboo.”

Lando chuckled and placed his hand on the back of Luke’s head. “That makes two of us then. I love you too, Luke, more than any words can express.”

Luke laughed as well. “We both really should’ve said something sooner.”

“Well,” Lando shrugged, “we said it now. And may I say that was the best kiss I’ve ever had.”

This was not the first time something Lando said made Luke blush, and it definitely was not going to be the last, as far as Lando was concerned. And with any luck he’d also be the reason for Luke’s smile many times for the years to come.

The sound of someone clearing their throat finally made them jump apart. The head of the security stood at the kitchen doorway awkwardly, not knowing where to look.

“So, um…” they said, cleared their throat again, and continued, “Would you like to press charges, General Calrissian? The bounty hunter has not said anything in regards of who he is working for, but there is enough evidence to charge him personally for attempted murder.”

“Yeah, sure, do that,” Lando answered quickly. Luke had hidden his face behind his hand, but it was clear that he was laughing.

The head of the security nodded and left the penthouse. Once it was clear that they were completely gone, Luke burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Lando asked.

“Holonet is gonna have a field day tomorrow,” Luke answered, wiping his eyes. “There’s no way this is gonna stay a secret. Who knows how long that poor security person was standing there.”

Luke was right, of course, but Lando couldn’t find it in him to care. Holonet and people could gossip all they wanted. Lando had something, or rather, _someone_ , far more important to concentrate on. He pressed a kiss on Luke’s forehead, finished making the mojitos, and passed one of the glasses to Luke.

“I think we’ve earned these,” Lando said.

“After all this? Definitely,” Luke agreed, and held out his free hand to Lando. They headed to the open terrace of the penthouse just in time to catch the sunset. And for once they truly had absolutely nothing to worry about. Any duties concerning the New Republic could wait until tomorrow. For now they could just watch the Coruscanti sunset, drink their mojitos, and just bask in this newfound intimacy.

With any luck they’d get to go back to Chandrila tomorrow, give a report to Mon Mothma, and then they could start figuring out what to do next. But now was not the time to worry about the future. Now was the time to live in the moment.

* * *

Luke was right. The next day, Holonet _was_ having a field day, even if they did get most of the details completely wrong (not that accuracy was ever a hindrance to the gossip reporters). His and Lando’s comms were beeping non-stop with congratulating calls from their friends and family. Luke’s grandparents and even Chaelisa Yongwon were among the well-wishers.

“Well, it’s not as if we couldn’t have expected this,” Lando grinned when they finally boarded their ship, getting ready to return to Chandrila. “They were already doing backflips when all they had were a couple of blurry holos, and now everything has been confirmed.”

Luke laughed all the way to the cockpit.

“Let’s give them something really good to talk about then,” he said as he set the coordinates to the navicomputer.

It had been a long mission, but in every way it had been worth everything.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are appreciated^^
> 
> Find me on Tumblr [@canonskyrissian](canonskyrissian.tumblr.com)


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